Phys.org: Phys.org news tagged with: cellular processeshttp://phys.org/
en-usPhys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.http://cdn.phys.org/tmpl/v4/img/phys.org.140.pngPhys.orghttp://phys.org/
What makes a worm say 'yuck'Researchers at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) say they have uncovered a way that animals detect pathogens in their bodies that allows their systems to respond before cellular damage occurs.http://phys.org/news256287831.html
BiologyTue, 15 May 2012 08:03:59 ESTnews256287831Healing with mathUnderstanding the way our bodies heal is not as easy as 1, 2, 3. But a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researcher believes mathematics holds the answers to complex biological problems.http://phys.org/news254392414.html
Other SciencesMon, 23 Apr 2012 09:33:42 ESTnews254392414Study dusts sugar coating off little-known regulation in cellsIn Alzheimer's disease, brain neurons become clogged with tangled proteins. Scientists suspect these tangles arise partly due to malfunctions in a little-known regulatory system within cells. Now, researchers have dramatically increased what they know about this particular regulatory system in mice. Such information will help scientists better understand Alzheimer's and other diseases in humans and could eventually provide new targets for therapies.http://phys.org/news253808670.html
ChemistryMon, 16 Apr 2012 15:25:06 ESTnews253808670Red wine, fruit compound could help block fat cell formation(PhysOrg.com) -- A compound found in red wine, grapes and other fruits, and similar in structure to resveratrol, is able to block cellular processes that allow fat cells to develop, opening a door to a potential method to control obesity, according to a Purdue University study.http://phys.org/news252761908.html
ChemistryWed, 04 Apr 2012 12:38:50 ESTnews252761908To drive infections, a hijacking virus mimics a cell's signaling systemNew biological research reveals how an invading virus hijacks a cell's workings by imitating a signaling marker to defeat the body's defenses. By manipulating cell signals, the virus destroys a defensive protein designed to inhibit it. This finding, from studies in human cell cultures, may represent a broader targeting strategy used by other viruses, and may lay the scientific groundwork for developing more effective treatments for infectious diseases.http://phys.org/news251981247.html
BiologyMon, 26 Mar 2012 11:47:34 ESTnews251981247Researchers provide atomic view of a histone chaperoneMayo Clinic researchers have gained insights into the function of a member of a family of specialized proteins called histone chaperones. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, they have determined the 3-D structure and interactions of the histone chaperone Rtt106 down to the atomic details. The findings are published in the journal Nature.http://phys.org/news249821071.html
ChemistryThu, 01 Mar 2012 10:44:39 ESTnews249821071Understanding how bacteria come back from the deadSalmonella remains a serious cause of food poisoning in the UK and throughout the EU, in part due to its ability to thrive and quickly adapt to the different environments in which it can grow. New research involving a team of IFR scientists, funded by BBSRC, has taken the first detailed look at what Salmonella does when it enters a new environment, which could provide clues to finding new ways of reducing transmission through the food chain and preventing human illness.http://phys.org/news247402350.html
BiologyThu, 02 Feb 2012 10:52:37 ESTnews247402350Weightlessness weighs heavy on genes -- a fly's perspectiveOn Earth all biology is subjected to gravity. Some biological systems require gravity for correct orientation (geotropism: plants grow up, roots grow down). In the absence of gravity even human biology is affected: astronauts lose bone density at 1-2% a month rather than the usual 1-2% a year on Earth. But the effects of gravity on cellular processes are less well understood. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Genomics has used diamagnetic levitation to counteract the effects of gravity on the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and found that the expression of several genes was affected. This included genes involved in cell signalling, the immune system, response to stress and changes in temperature, such as the heat shock proteins.http://phys.org/news247248656.html
BiologyTue, 31 Jan 2012 19:00:08 ESTnews247248656Scientists map one of life's molecular mysteriesAll living organisms are made up of cells, behind these intricate life forms lie complex cellular processes that allow our bodies to function. Researchers working on protein secretion &#151; a fundamental process in biology &#151; have revealed how protein channels in the membrane are activated by special signals contained in proteins destined for secretion. The results help explain the underlying mechanism responsible for the release of proteins such as hormones and antibodies into the blood stream.http://phys.org/news246803122.html
BiologyThu, 26 Jan 2012 12:25:30 ESTnews246803122Flatworms' minimalist approach to cell division reveals molecular architecture of human centrosomeResearchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have discovered that planarians, tiny flatworms fabled for their regenerative powers, completely lack centrosomes, cellular structures that organize the network of microtubules that pulls chromosomes apart during cell division.http://phys.org/news244986059.html
BiologyThu, 05 Jan 2012 14:00:08 ESTnews244986059CSHL's DNA Learning Center awarded Science magazine SPORE prizeCold Spring Harbor Laboratory's DNA Learning Center (DNALC) has been awarded the Science Prize for Online Resources in Education (SPORE) for its creation of a science education portal at www.dnalc.org that attracts more than 7 million online visitors annually.http://phys.org/news243785791.html
Other SciencesThu, 22 Dec 2011 14:16:57 ESTnews243785791Scientists elevate little-studied cellular mechanism to potential drug targetFor years, science has generally considered the phosphorylation of proteins -- the insertion of a phosphorous group into a protein that turns it on or off -- as perhaps the factor regulating a range of cellular processes from cell metabolism to programmed cell death. Now, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified the importance of a novel protein-regulating mechanism -- called sulfenylation -- that is similar to phosphorylation and may, in fact, open up opportunities to develop new types of drugs for diseases such as cancer.http://phys.org/news242798229.html
ChemistrySun, 11 Dec 2011 13:00:13 ESTnews242798229New database for vital model organism launchedA new database promises to be an invaluable resource to scientists who use a unique single-celled fungus to study human diseases.http://phys.org/news241709122.html
BiologyMon, 28 Nov 2011 13:25:29 ESTnews241709122Researchers find pulsating response to stress in bacteria(PhysOrg.com) -- If the changing seasons are making it chilly inside your house, you might just turn the heater on. That's a reasonable response to a cold environment: switching to a toastier and more comfortable state until it warms up outside. And so it's no surprise that biologists have long thought cells would respond to their environment in a similar way.http://phys.org/news239523857.html
BiologyThu, 03 Nov 2011 07:24:34 ESTnews239523857New genetic switch allows cells to thrive in low oxygen(PhysOrg.com) -- Johns Hopkins scientists have revealed a new way that cells respond to the challenge of low oxygen. A report on the discovery about how the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe regulates its genes in hypoxic conditions appears online October 20 in Molecular Cell.http://phys.org/news239011861.html
BiologyFri, 28 Oct 2011 09:30:01 ESTnews239011861New membrane lipid measuring technique may help fight diseaseCould controlling cell-membrane fat play a key role in turning off disease?http://phys.org/news237381924.html
ChemistrySun, 09 Oct 2011 13:00:24 ESTnews237381924Vacuum-like device makes cellular exploration easierIt's a bit of a challenge. But, imagine a microscopic jet vacuum cleaner, the size of a pen nib that hovers over cell surfaces without ever touching them. Then imagine that the soap in the cleaning solution is replaced with various molecules that can be selectively delivered to the cells. This gives you a sense of a new device that researchers believe will serve as a powerful tool to study the behaviour of living cells and a range of crucial cellular processes, from cancer cell formation to how neurons align themselves in the developing brain.http://phys.org/news235752618.html
BiologyTue, 20 Sep 2011 15:50:42 ESTnews235752618New technique elucidates dynamics of plant cell metabolitesA new technique developed by researchers at RIKEN has clarified the location and dynamics of specific metabolites in a single cell of the alga Chara australis. The findings reveal that these metabolites are regulated and fluctuate under stress conditions, providing insight into previously-unknown functions of the vacuole in cellular processes.http://phys.org/news235130368.html
BiologyTue, 13 Sep 2011 10:59:59 ESTnews235130368Recycling fat might help worms live longerAging is generally accepted as a universal fact of life, but how do humans and other organisms age at the molecular level? At Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), a team led by Malene Hansen, Ph.D., uses a type of worm called Caenorhabditis elegans to work out the molecular underpinnings of the aging process. In a study appearing online September 8 in Current Biology, they found that two cellular processes&#151;lipid metabolism and autophagy -- work together to influence worms' lifespan. Autophagy, a major mechanism cells use to digest and recycle their own contents, has become the subject of intense scientific scrutiny over the past few years, particularly since the process (or its malfunction) has been implicated in many human diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer's disease. This study provides a more detailed understanding of the roles autophagy and lipid metabolism play in aging.http://phys.org/news234530563.html
BiologyTue, 06 Sep 2011 12:23:03 ESTnews234530563Demonstrating the importance of dynamical systems theoryTwo new papers in the Journal of General Physiology demonstrate the successes of using bifurcation theory and dynamical systems approaches to solve biological puzzles. http://phys.org/news228397078.html
BiologyMon, 27 Jun 2011 12:38:06 ESTnews228397078Scientists identify protein that improves DNA repair under stressCells in the human body are constantly being exposed to stress from environmental chemicals or errors in routine cellular processes. While stress can cause damage, it can also provide the stimulus for undoing the damage. New research by a team of scientists at the University of Rochester has unveiled an important new mechanism that allows cells to recognize when they are under stress and prime the DNA repair machinery to respond to the threat of damage. Their findings are published in the current issue of Science.http://phys.org/news227450242.html
BiologyThu, 16 Jun 2011 14:00:08 ESTnews227450242RNA dynamics deconstructed: Technique offers detailed view of how RNA levels change(PhysOrg.com) -- RNA plays a critical role in directing the creation of proteins, but there is more to the life of an RNA molecule than simply carrying DNA's message. One can imagine that an RNA molecule is born, matures, and eventually, meets its demise. Researchers at the Broad have developed an approach that offers many windows into the lifecycle of these essential molecules and will enable other scientists to investigate what happens when something in a cell goes wrong. They describe their approach, which offers high resolution and a comprehensive scope, in a Nature Biotechnology article published online on April 24.http://phys.org/news222871386.html
BiologySun, 24 Apr 2011 13:43:21 ESTnews222871386Fruit flies on meth: Study explores whole-body effects of toxic drugA new study in fruit flies offers a broad view of the potent and sometimes devastating molecular events that occur throughout the body as a result of methamphetamine exposure.http://phys.org/news222539270.html
Medicine & HealthWed, 20 Apr 2011 17:28:06 ESTnews222539270New role for phosphorylation in heterochromatinA great many cellular processes are switched on or off by the modification of a given enzyme or other protein by addition of a phosphate molecule, known as phosphorylation. This regulatory activity occurs widely in the cytoplasm, but can take place in the nucleus as well. Recent work has shown the HP1&#945;, a protein that guides the formation of heterochromatin, a form of the DNA-protein structure know as chromatin, is also subject to this post-translational modification, but the biological meaning of this event has remained unresolved.http://phys.org/news218885099.html
BiologyWed, 09 Mar 2011 09:25:09 ESTnews218885099Scientists probe the role of motor protein in hearing lossFrom grinding heavy metal to soothing ocean waves, the sounds we hear are all perceptible thanks to the vibrations felt by tiny molecular motors in the hair cells of the inner ear. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have now identified the mechanism by which a single amino acid change can disrupt the normal functioning of one of the critical components of that physiology -- a molecular motor protein called myo1c, which resides in the cochlea of the inner ear.http://phys.org/news218641825.html
Medicine & HealthSun, 06 Mar 2011 13:50:37 ESTnews218641825Researchers find new light-sensing mechanism in neuronsA UC Irvine research team led by Todd C. Holmes has discovered a second form of phototransduction light sensing in cells that is derived from vitamin B2. This discovery may reveal new information about cellular processes controlled by light.http://phys.org/news218383379.html
Medicine & HealthThu, 03 Mar 2011 14:03:19 ESTnews218383379New optogenetic tools for biomedical research developed by UW scientists(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Wyoming have characterized and engineered new proteins that expand the use of light as a tool to manipulate cell cultures, tissues and laboratory model animals.http://phys.org/news215174011.html
ChemistryTue, 25 Jan 2011 10:33:45 ESTnews215174011New molecular imaging technologies for detecting cellular processesA group of Spanish researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid have designed and developed a biomedical scanner that detects cellular processes at the molecular level and indicates malfunctioning of an organ before said malfunction can produce an anatomical change.http://phys.org/news213965917.html
PhysicsTue, 11 Jan 2011 10:58:52 ESTnews213965917New imaging advance illuminates immune response in breathing lung(PhysOrg.com) -- Fast-moving objects create blurry images in photography, and the same challenge exists when scientists observe cellular interactions within tissues constantly in motion, such as the breathing lung. In a recent UCSF-led study in mice, researchers developed a method to stabilize living lung tissue for imaging without disrupting the normal function of the organ. The method allowed the team to observe, for the first time, both the live interaction of living cells in the context of their environment and the unfolding of events in the immune response to lung injury.http://phys.org/news212080262.html
Medicine & HealthMon, 20 Dec 2010 15:11:16 ESTnews212080262Ion channel responsible for pain identified by UB neuroscientistsUniversity at Buffalo neuroscience researchers conducting basic research on ion channels have demonstrated a process that could have a profound therapeutic impact on pain.http://phys.org/news211822596.html
Medicine & HealthFri, 17 Dec 2010 15:36:47 ESTnews211822596